Patrick A. Velardi
Not all the pioneers of the frontier were subduers of the wilderness. Conrad Richter’s
The Trees
tells the story of the Lucketts who have migrated from Pennsylvania to Ohio. Unlike the adults in
Shane
or
Caddie Woodlawn
, Worth Luckett is a user, a backwoodsman. The concept of a backwoodsman is a fascinating one. Some were psychological or social misfits in the city. Almost all were poor, always on the move, and had little chance of rising above their condition. They always sought the outer fringes of a settlement, both to escape the critical gaze of more successful pioneers, and because on the fringes there was a greater abundance of resources on which to exist. Not many owned land, and, of those who did, they made feeble attempts to make the land productive. They preferred to live near running streams so as to not need to draw water. Constant movement was their trademark, always seeking the prosperity that they felt was owed to them by the frontier, but never finding it. They moved west with other settlers, but never really became part of any community. They were often arrogant and abusive, demanding respect that they never earned.
8
The Trees
was held for last in this unit because it is a more serious book. The reader should have some idea of the concept of users and subduers before reading it. The stories of
Shane
and
Caddie
Woodlawn
will more certainly grab the attention of young readers and hopefully make them want to discover more about the people of the westward expansion. The Lucketts are people who move forward on the edge of civilization figuratively and literally; they almost seem to be running away from civilization.
Worth Luckett fits into the backwoods description, and so
The Trees
will provide a picture of a different type of motivation for moving westward.
The Trees
presents a picture quite different from
Shane
or
Caddie Woodlawn
. The Starretts and the Woodlawns were filled with the frontier spirit that sought a better life through opportunity and hard work. The Lucketts, however, are leaving their home and moving westward because Worth, the father, has to move to find new hunting grounds. Worth’s wife, Jary, expresses the attitude early in the book when she states, “What’s a body to do if the game’s left the country?” Class discussions should focus on the alternatives, especially in relation to
Shane
and
Caddie Woodlawn
. The students will see that cultivation of the land was a clear and viable choice, but the backwoodsman family needed to follow the game, rather than farm the land.
About the first third of
The Trees
will provide a highly descriptive picture of a pioneer family’s experience in complete and total wilderness. Examples of human reactions to a sea of trees that do not allow even sunlight to filter through should illuminate the magnitude of the loneliness of leaving an inhabited area for the unknown. When the Lucketts reach an area that appears to be habitable, they begin to build their home. Worth works very hard to build a cabin before winter, but always the call of the woods is in his ears. The cabin-building gets left regularly, and for long periods of time, so that he can hunt. Jary nags him to finish, and he finally does. It appears that the Lucketts will indeed settle in. However, Jary dies, seemingly from being overwhelmed by the wilderness, and Sayward, the oldest daughter must take her place. Worth succumbs to the call of the woods and leaves the family. The book details how the remaining Lucketts grow and survive.
Many valuable observations can be made by students of
The Trees
. The attitude towards women is one that surfaces early, for example. Even though Jary would rather have stayed in their home in Pennsylvania, she resolves herself to follow Worth. One gets the feeling that Jary’s feeling about the move meant little to her husband. Women accepted their role, it seems, of being the one who stayed at home, cooking the food and raising the children. Sayward herself says, “But it’s no use a cryin’ you ain’t a man. God Almighty done it that way and you kain’t change it.” The backwoodsman’s attitude toward Indians is touchingly dealt with in scenes where Indians stay in the Luckett’s cabin, eat the last of their food, and all so the Lucketts do not offend the Indians. Squatters were treated with scorn by the backwoodsmen even to the point of irrational prejudice. For example, Worth blames the rain and fog on squatters burning trees, causing smoke, which makes rain, and the rain drawing out the fog that Worth blames all manner of sickness on. Finally, the cycle of life for the backwoodsman is observed in that Ascha, a sister, marries a man who regularly leaves her for long periods of time so that he can hunt, and Wyitt, Sayward’s brother, becomes what his father is, a backwoodsman. Progress toward a better or, at least, a different life seems impossible among the men. Sayward, however, does offer hope in the book. She does succeed in establishing a home that her siblings return to for familial support. The process of laying down roots has begun for the Lucketts.